Chapter 2
In this chapter a signal fire is lit to try and encourage rescue, however a small boy is killed in the process. Summary In this chapter the boys build a fire to try and attract any nearby ships to the island. Using Piggy's spectacles the fire is then lit and we see more of a primal instinct within the boys. During the course of this chapter, the stranded children experience their first sense of loss as a small child, only refered to as the "malberry faced boy" disappears, and is assumed burnt. This is the first death in the book, and could be considered foreshadowing for the deaths to come. Characters Ralph begins to make use of his chiefdom by calling another assembly in which he announces the expedition's findings, the importance of meat to the tribe (to Jacks delight) and also makes the important rule that only he who holds the conch may speak during an assembly. Ralph also comes up with another tremendously important rule about the island which is that a fire should be built and kept alight atop the central mountain. Although this has dire consequences in the form of a death and mass destruction of the forest when it goes wrong which may indicate that Ralph can sometimes not think his ideas through entirely. Piggy once more is a beacon of intellectuality, notifying the group of the severity of their situation, this leads to Ralph's idea of building a fire so that they can be rescued. When a 'beast' is mentioned, his rationality pulls through and he manages to calm the group to a large extent by assuring that there is no beast. Although Piggy is incapable of helping with heavy lifting or other physical activity due to his 'ass-mar', he seems to be the most adult-minded of the children with sensible thinking and annoyance when everyone else seems so childish in comparison. Despite this, he is not well-liked because he always seems to the bringer of bad news and is so different to them. On the other hand, Jack is popular among the tribe although he seems to have little interest in anything other than gathering meat for the tribe (a trial he has not yet succeeded at) and also bullying poor Piggy. Actually, due to his original failure to kill a pig during their expedition, Jack is a fairly angry person who enjoys stabbing trees to take out his anger. The fiery strength he possesses gives other children a sense of security though because he even manages to persuade them that if a 'beast' exists then he will kill it. Another vitally important character in this chapter is never actually named, simply 'the boy with a mulberry birthmark covering half his face' who mentions a beast in the assembly. This boy is a 'littlun' rather than a 'bigun' like Ralph which means that he is too young to be of much interest to the tribe and yet he changes all of their lives through one action. When the fire rages out of control this boy falls to it. Piggy's realisation of this brings the severity of their situation into blinding focus. Setting A large section of this chapter takes place at the assembly point on the beach because a number of topics are touched upon. This time, an assembly is held much later in the day and the shaded point on conversation is doubtlessly quite dark compared to the vibrant, tropical location it was earlier in the day. Because of this, the topics covered by the group tended to be darker and the general mood was less energetic and more apprehensive. Despite this, the great idea of building a fire was made and the location of 'the mountain' was decided upon. The top of the mountain was the perfect place for a fire, with a lot of dry, dead wood lying around the area and forest being nearby meaning that wood was in no short supply and they only had to collect and light it. However, once Piggy's specs had been used to light the fire, time had managed to pass and the area was dark. The large fire grew in strength until it was the major source of light in the area and then it took over the entire landscape, doubtlessly this was terrifying to watch once the extent of its 'damage' had been noted by Piggy. With the rock and open area below a dark sky, it must have appeared hellish. Themes and Writing Style Death is the main theme introduced towards the end of this chapter as a small child is killed in the rush to create a fire. '-where is he now?' shows their disbelief and the fact that they are still normal children and not primitive or tribal. This provides contrast for points later in the story at which this moment is refered to, showing the progression of the boys into chaos. Furthermore, this is the first death in the story, yet it is not overly dramatic which could be a reference to the boys inability to be affected by death and bloodlust (for pigs). Malice and death is a theme also shown through the concept of a beast on the island which is haunting the other children. The way in which one boy is two afraid to speak directly to the group about it also highlights this fear perhaps suggesting to the reader that the group is like a beast, something to be afraid of also. If this is the case, Golding has cleverly foreshadowed the end of the story using this technique. Another aspect we see in this chapter is that of a primal, tribal instinct in the boys that we have not seen before. The boys all rush to the fire like animals, leaving Piggy, the sensitive intelligent child, standing behind. This shows the boys in a new light and gives us an intsight into who they really are and there feelings through their actions. Conclusion and Final Comment To conclude, this chapter gives us an insight into life on the island at first, as well as introducing us to the concept of death and how it is managed by the students in the story. The characters are further developed in this chapter as well, as is our knowledge of the island and the setting in the story. Piggy remains the intelligence of the island, still guiding the others, but is still outcast. The malicous theme of death also begins to creep in and we experience the boys' reactions.